Buttercups and Daisies
by WindyCanyon
Summary: Arthur is king of vampires, friendless and over-worked. He meets a demon in the woods behind his house and they start a wary friendship. Little does he know that demon is Lovino, the Demon King. Can they bring their races together to fight the Hunters that threaten both their races?
1. Chapter 1

Another long day for Arthur, wasted on useless council meetings and solutionless problems. His people's population had steadily dwindled in the pass few years; more were being killed and less were having children. At the rate Hunters were picking them off, there wouldn't be any vampires left soon, and that was a problem. Yes, they killed many of the Hunters, but the Hunters had them terribly outnumbered. Even if they were to turn a hundred humans, the newborns would be cut down before they even killed anyone, as he persistently reminded many of his council members.

He shook his head violently and nearly ran out of his large house, trying to escape the oppressive cloud over him. The scent of the forest called to him, its clean, earthy smell already relieving his stressed thoughts. Arthur let himself wander deep into the green, thick undergrowth, far from any signs of civilization, but he was far from lost; he knew this forest as well as his own body, perhaps even better.

After roaming the worn trails, he finally came to the place he'd been looking for. The wide meadow grew lush with flowers and other plants, and a large boulder leaned over a small pond; it was the very picture of peace for him. He slowly strolled to the grey stone and sat down with his back against it. The coolness of the rock nearly matched his own body temperature. He'd considered this meadow his place since he first found it and showed it to no one.

A southern wind stirred the grass around him, sending ripples through the water of the pond, and bringing a new scent to his sensitive nose. It smelled spicy and warm, if warmth had a scent, but it was all he could think of to describe the interesting scent. Then he heard the snap of a twig; he wasn't alone. With inhuman speed, he jumped to his feet and dropped into a defensive crouch just as a man walked out from behind his rock.

The man was of slim build and made for speed. He had dark chocolate-brown hair and two deep hazel eyes that seemed to reflect the greens and browns of the forest behind him. If Arthur didn't know better, he would have mistaken this man for a spirit of a tree, but he could the scent of demon on him. It's strange he didn't smell it sooner.

"You're a long way from home," he growled, never taking his eyes off the demon. The stories told of some demons being powerful enough to steal your soul with just their eyes, but those weren't just stories meant to scare children. They were truth, and those beautiful eyes seemed just like the type to steal souls.

"Yes, I am a long way from home. Would you relax? I'm not here for a soul like yours." The demon spoke slowly, as if he was holding back something, and frowned at him.

Arthur didn't move from his crouch. He'd read too few books on demons to trust them. Most of them read that demons could take souls without even touching their victims, and take control of people's bodies and force them to do their bidding. But that was all he'd been able to find, all the books that had had more detailed descriptions burned in a mysterious fire and the information lost over the many years since demons and vampires were friends, and demons were good about keeping their secrets locked away. "What are you doing here?"

"Why do we hate each other?" The demon leaned casually against his rock.

"What?" Arthur asked dumbly, blinking in shock.

"Don't be an idiot, I'll be severely disappointed if you turn out to be a dunce." The demon frowned even more, a crease forming between his brows. "Demons and vampires, why do they hate each other?"

He bristled at the insult to his intelligence, or almost insult, really. "Don't you know your history, fire-breather? Demon King Romulus formed an alliance with the Hunters to help destroy vampires, thus sealing the bond of hate."

The demon had the nerve to actually roll his eyes at Arthur, as if he was a silly child. "Now, tell me the similarities between us."

"Do you know who you're talking to, wanker?" He growled, not use to being ordered around and no one, but his older brothers, dared to speak to him so rudely.

"Yes, but the better question is do _you_ know who you're talking to? But that doesn't matter, answer the fucking question."

"You're only some demon," Arthur scoffed, letting his temper burn away any caution. "And, since you obviously don't know, demons and vampires share a common food source and a common enemy, although demons are more willing to sell themselves cheap."

"You really have no idea who I am," the demon's melodious voice rang with amusement and he smirked mockingly.

"Oh, where are my manners," he grumbled sarcastically, straightening up and bowing. "My name is Arthur Kirkland, king of all vampires."

"My name's Lovino," he answered, unimpressed by Arthur's kingship.

"You have the same name as the demon king. Your parents much be very proud demons," he sneered.

The demon got a very strange look on his face, and said, "You could say that. Have you ever seen the demon king?"

"No, I don't make it a habit to associate with such dishonest creatures," he answered stiffly. All his patience had worn thin; the bombardment of stress made him cranky and in need of release, and this demon's lack of reaction to his insults irked him.

"Perhaps you should," the demon told him, rolling his beautiful eyes at his irritation and sat down among the flowers. "It would cure your ignorance."

"I am not ignorant!"

"If you weren't, you would know that if demons and vampires were to put aside their stupid feud and come together, we might be able to win against the Hunters if they start another war," Lovino said nonchalantly.

The retort he had ready to fling at Lovino died in his throat. In truth, it had never occurred to him to seek outside help, and especially not from demons. "Why would you suggest something like that? Our people hate each other."

"Do you really think you're the only damn one the Hunters are targeting? Because you're not. A king should consider every option to help his people," the demon scolded, scowling deeply in disapproval at him.

Arthur felt an embarrassed blush crawl over his cheeks. He'd let his temper get the better of him once again, his mother would be disappointed in him. "And what do you suggest? Mending the bonds won't be easy. Vampires never forget such things as betrayal."

"I'm well aware," Lovino snapped at him. "You think I have not thought of this before?"

"You've thought of this before?"

"Have you really not realized yet? I don't know if you're stupid or just fucking slow."

"Shut it, you twat! It's been a long day and I don't have time to think about strange demons like you!" Arthur felt his anger rising again, if it continued like this, he'd say something rash again.

Lovino rolled his eyes, picking a few flowers from the ground around him, obviously more comfortable in the presence of an 'enemy' than him. "Whatever you say, bastard."

"What the bloody hell are you even doing on my land, soul-sucker?"

"What the hell have we been talking about, fuck— I came to recommend a solution to our problems."

It amazed him to watch Lovino's face go from near murderous with rage to deathly calm and unfeeling, which was the strongest emotion he'd seen from the demon except cold indifference. "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because soon, there won't be any vampires left for you to rule. The Hunters are planning a big wipe out."

"What? How do you know this?" Arthur studied the demon's face for any trace of dishonesty, something he was good at spotting, but found none.

"I have a spy in their system. They're planning to exterminate everyone."

"What does that have to do with you?"

"Ignorant bastard. When I say everyone, I mean _everyone_, including demons," Lovino growled.

"We can fight." _And lose_, but he left that unsaid, it would be foolish to bare such a weakness like that.

The demon took a deep, calming breath. "Look, it's not like it's easy being here. I say you mend old hurts and join together to keep our races alive. You can't fight them alone and win, and neither can we."

He gave Lovino a disapproving stare. "How am I going to fix centuries of hate?"

"Only your people are still sore over what King Romulus did, mine are rather indifferent on the matter," Lovino explained to him slowly, like he was trying to teach a stubborn child his letters and the child just couldn't learn it.

"My people won't take kindly to forgiving demons, idiot, not without a good reason."

"I know, bastard!" The demon growled and his fists balled up in frustration, trapping the poor flower in his grip.

"Fine, fine. I'll think about it," he mumbled and sat down, tired out by the argument. "You took a big risk coming here."

"I know, but I'm not afraid of an idiot like you."

"Yeah? And what if, instead of me being here, it was Ivan? That big brute would tear your limb from limb before you could get a word out," he growled, too tired to rise to the insult.

"Do you think I'm stupid? You might be ignorant enough to barge into demon land without knowing who you're looking for, but I'm not," Lovino said, giving him a glare that seemed to cut all the way to his soul.

"Shut up, wanker." He couldn't help but shift uncomfortably. "Would you stop looking at me like that?"

"Like what— oh." Lovino shifted his eyes away slightly, his gaze staying strangely neutral.

Arthur stared at the demon, who stretched out a bit as the sun came out of the clouds. There was such little information on demons, he didn't know whether to keep his guard up or not, but Lovino didn't seem to be displaying a hostile intentions.

"What the fuck are you staring at, shithead?" Lovino glared at him accusingly, but his posture remained relaxed. He looked like one of the biggest contradictions Arthur had ever seen.

It fascinated him the way Lovino's eyes blazed with some inner fire, smoldering and burning into everything he set his gaze upon. "Is it true demons are born from fire? Does it really run in your blood?"

"Yes and no, to both questions. What the hell made you ask that?" Lovino scowled suspiciously at him, eyes narrowed ever so slightly.

"I'm just curious. Somehow, your people managed to keep the details of your kind to a minimum understanding to anyone whose not a demon."

"Yeah? Well, good. The less everyone knows, the better," Lovino snapped.

He decided to ignore the rude tone and thought over the few books he'd read that mentioned demons. "Fine. Is it true that 'Fire can fly from a demon's finger tips and will never go out without the demon's consent'," he quoted from one of the books.

"That's from the 'Book of Volatile Creatures', si? Because that's a shitty book."

"I agree, it's not the best. Please, answer the question," Arthur let irritation slip into his voice.

"For the most part, yes." Lovino looked away from him and at something distant.

"May I see?"

"You'll have to move closer, bastard." Lovino motioned at the wide distance between them.

As wary as he was, he wanted to know more about this secretive man and his race. Wordlessly, he rose and crossed the distance, and sat cross-legged in front of the other male.

Lovino, for his part, seemed surprised by his actions. "Damn, you really want to know that bad?"

"Yes."

The demon sighed and pressed his hands together. Between his fingers, a small glowing formed. Lovino cupped a tiny ball of fire and sighed again. He watched as slowly, the ball uncurled and a small wolf sat up in Lovino's hands. The fire-wolf jumped out of Lovino's hand, floating in the air, and walked around them. It ran a few circles around them, before settling on his leg. Through the fabric of his pants, he could feel the warmth and he hesitantly reached out a hand to touch it.

"Wait—" Lovino tried to warn him, but it was too late.

The wolf disappeared, leaving his hand charred and burned. He jerked his hand back and hissed. His damaged nerves screamed and pain shot up his arm.

"Shit! It's still fire, not some fucking pet!" Lovino's eyes found his, concern focused on him.

"I know that now!" He grit his teeth, holding his blackened fingers away from him, as if to push away the pain.

Lovino took a deep breath and let it out. "Give me your hand."

Cautiously, Arthur held out his injured hand to the demon. "What are you going to do?"

"Fixing it." Lovino took his hand, treating it far more gently than he expected. His fingers began to glow and green fire formed around the edges.

"Wait, wait!" He tried to pull his hand away before the demon could touch him, but Lovino held-fast and pressed his fingers to the damaged skin. Instead of the searing pain he expected, only a pleasant warmth greeted him as his nerves healed and reformed.

"There, fucking wimp," Lovino said gruffly, letting out a huff, and released his hand. "Sorry about that..."

He ran his fingers over the smooth skin of his newly healed hand in amazement. "Bloody hell..."

"What are you so surprised about?" The demon grumbled and glared at the ground.

"Well, I believed fire could only destroy." His eyes rose to meet Lovino's and he watched the fire flicker and burn in those beautiful hazel eyes.

"Continue to believe that, fire will always destroy." Lovino stared back at him until the distant rumble of thunder alerted them of the oncoming storm. They both stood up slowly and took a few steps away from each other.

"I'll be leaving now," Lovino said abruptly, then turned and marched away.

"Goodbye, Lovino," he called as the demon ran into the forest.

He stared at the place between the trees where Lovino had disappeared, long after the undergrowth had stopped its trembling and he could no longer hear Lovino's light foot-steps. The encounter with the strange demon raised many questions for him. Lovino hadn't seemed like he lied about the Hunters wanting to eradicate his people, the recent rise in deaths caused by Hunters only supported his words. But was an alliance with the demons really the answer? How would he even bring others to accept help from the demons? Last time vampires and demons fought together, it ended with heartless betrayal by the demons and since then, the ties between the two races never reconciled. There'd been a few individuals that made friends with a demon or two, but those friendships were usually made before the War.

Arthur had only been a child when the War broke out, his body barely bigger than a six year old's at the time. He remember the long nights waiting for his mother to kiss him good night when her battle planning ran late. Back then, he was too young to understand the importance of the men she held council with and the long periods of time when she went away. It was only towards the end of the war that he learnt her long absences were caused by battles.

At the healthy age of seven, Mother took him to meet King Romulus. It would be his first, and last for a long time, meeting a demon, and the large man terrified him. The King stood taller than his mother and his golden eyes seemed to drown him, slowly suffocating him. In a nervous greeting, he had held out a trembling hand. The demon smiled at him kindly, shedding his intimidating air, and took his hand in a warm handshake before picking him up and swinging him around, like a father would if he ever had one.

After that first meeting, he knew King Roma was a good person, that only made the betrayal of the demons even harder for him to accept. But he didn't have much time to think of the Demon King as he once was, or insist that the king was forced to betray them, because not long after, his mother died in battle. He was told that King Roma gave the killing blow, but he'd always had a hard time believing that. How could the kind man, that helped him improve his sword skills and always smiled at him when no one else would, kill his mother? He would never know, or want to.

* * *

**The War: It was basically a war that started out Demon and Vampires versus Hunters, but about half-way through, Demons struck up a deal the Hunters and switched sides. This ultimately turned out to be a bad choice, because once the Arthur's mother (Vampire Queen) was killed and most their people killed, the Hunters went after Demons and killed King Romulus. And thus, vampires and demons became moral enemies.**

**Another story to start and write for. Who knows how long this one will take to update, because I don't know. School is hard and inspiration is low.**

**-_Windy_**


	2. Chapter 2

Another day passed, more meetings that led to nothing but fighting and yelling. It left him tired, irritated and impossible to spend time with. There was only one place he could go after he'd had enough of battle plans or diplomatic solutions (Although not a single person mentioned anything to do with demons). His forest.

With a heavy sigh, he plopped on to the ground and leaned against the cool stone. The peaceful scene around him did wonders for his stress.

"Wow, you're really out of it, bastard," a familiar voice teased him from above.

"Bloody hell!" He threw himself away from the stone and looked up. On the large boulder, Lovino laid on his belly, watching him with an amused glint in his eyes. "What do you think you are doing?"

"Don't look so angry, fuckhead. It's not my fault you weren't paying attention to your surroundings," Lovino replied, those sharp eyes watching his every move.

"Shut it! Why are you here?"

"You're not the only one that comes here to escape their troubles." Hazel eyes slowly scanned over the meadow. "Even you, in all your damn stupidity, can agree to that."

He scowled deeply. "You realize I can have you killed for speaking to me in such a manner."

"Yeah, but you won't." Lovino rolled to lay on his back, soaking in the sun.

The surety in Lovino's voice startled him. It held none of the usual fearful respect or resentment, not even simple indifference. "How do you know I won't?"

"Ask yourself, would you really have me fucking killed because of your own petty pride? If the answer is yes, then not only am I screwed, but you're less of a person than I thought you to be." Lovino leaned his head over the rock and pierced him with those cutting eyes. "But I know you're not an asshole, or not too much of one."

Arthur laid back in the grass, laughing to himself.

"What's so fucking funny?"

"How do you, someone I don't know, know what I will or will not do?"

"I'm a demon, idiot." Lovino rolled his eyes, stretching out across the stone. "Souls are my specially."

"What do you mean, git?" He watched the demon warily.

Lovino never took his eyes off him, his eyes not focused on him, but something inside of him. "Don't ask stupid questions. I can get a general feeling of what type of person you are by taking a glimpse of your soul."

"Oh...You're not going to steal my soul, are you?"

"How...?" Lovino blinked at him with genuine surprise. "You're all the way over there and I'm enjoying the sun far too much."

"Can't you just take it with your eyes?" Embarrassment weld in his stomach. He had a feeling nearly everything he'd read about demons was a lie or a half-truth.

"No? Well, dammit, I guess I could?" The demon still didn't sound very sure. "But only if I wanted to, it'd be a hell of a lot easier just to go over there and rip it out by hand." He must have had a weird expression, because then Lovino added, "But I wouldn't want an ugly-ass soul like yours. It's too fucking dry and dusty, old bastard."

"Like you're any better, wanker." He couldn't help the grin that pulled at his lips. As insulted as he should feel, he felt strangely relieved by Lovino's playful tone. "I bet your soul is all prickly and red."

"Red? Why fucking red?"

"It's the color of your shirt?" It was a meek response, because, in truth, he didn't know why he said red. Perhaps, it really was just his shirt. Lovino did look like a drop of blood among the bright green of the plant growth around him.

"Weird bastard." A ghost of smile flitted across Lovino's face, brightening it for a moment, but disappearing before he could see it properly. "So, what got you so fucking stressed you completely ignored everything around you?"

"Things," he said vaguely. As much as Lovino seemed harmless, you could never tell, and his limited knowledge of demons made him wary.

"Kingly things?" Lovino's mouth quirked into a crooked grimace or smile; he couldn't tell.

"Yes. Stupid councilors and advisers that have no bloody clue what to do," he grumbled, thinking back to the loud voices and large headache that came with them.

"A lot of people are like that. Not much you can do about them, but you are the king."

"What does me being king have to do with anything?"

"The people listen to you. If you have an idea, preach it to them." Lovino's eyes cut into him again. "And if they believe in you, they will follow."

"You seem to know quite a bit about ruling," he said softly, meeting Lovino's gaze. Arthur hadn't expected such strong words. _'The words of a leader,'_ he thought in the back of his mind.

"I don't know much, but I know a king is only as good as his people."

His entire body froze with shock and his eyes grew wide. _A king is only as good as his people._ An old king had told him that the last time he ever saw the smiling man, before everything went to shambles. "Where did you hear that...?"

"Hear what?"

"A king is only as good as his people," he said impatiently. "Who told you that?"

"It's a saying. Why do you ask?"

He stared at Lovino, and for a second, he thought he saw someone else sitting on that rock, but then he blinked and the feeling was gone. "Ah, sorry. Forget it."

Lovino hopped down and walked close to him. The demon held his gaze for a moment before he punched his shoulder and took off across the clearing, calling behind him, "Catch me if you can, bastard!"

Like a statue, he stood trying to process what just happened. Then he raced after Lovino, a wide grin spreading across his face. "Better run fast, git!"

Ahead of him, Lovino laughed and dived behind a tree, with Arthur hot on his trail. They played like that for hours, all stressful thoughts and responsibilities forgotten. He couldn't remember the last time he ran around so carelessly, if ever. There had never been anyone to play with when he was younger. He brothers hated him and all the other noble children were annoying little arrogant shits, like that git named Francis.

"Got you!" He jumped out from behind the rock and tackled the dark-haired demon, sending them both tumbling into the grass. They laid there panting, matching grins adorning their faces. It surprised him that Lovino had managed to evade him till now. He'd come so close to catching the nimble demon, then they'd turn a corner and he'd be gone, calling out taunts from behind him and taking off again.

"Took you long enough, bastard," Lovino said breathlessly.

"Shut it." He laughed and rolled on to his side, finding Lovino also on his side and staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing. You're just fucking funny to look at," Lovino teased and pushed his face away. "It must be those huge-ass eyebrows of yours."

"Leave my eyebrows out of this!" He didn't feel usual anger he felt when someone mentioned his eyebrows.

Lovino sat up and looked towards the sky. "It really rains here too fucking much."

He also looked up at the darkening sky. "I suppose it does, but I like the rain."

"I guess it's nice. Just too fucking wet and cold," the demon grumbled.

"I've meant to ask this, but where do you come from? I mean, it's obvious you're not from Britain." Arthur looked at Lovino from the corner of his eye. Lovino's dark, chocolate-brown hair and lovely tanned skin all suggested he came from a more southern region, and the musical lilt to his voice only added to the exotic quality of the demon. He'd say Spain or Italy, but Arthur couldn't be sure.

"I'm from Italia." Even from that simple sentence, he could hear the utter adoration in Lovino's voice. "Warm breezes blow off the ocean and people are heard laughing and dancing down the streets."

"Wow, it must be an amazing place, because I do believe that is the most I've heard you talk and not curse."

"Shut the fuck up!" Lovino punched him in the shoulder, a scowl set deep upon his face.

"Ow! I was only teasing, sensitive wanker!" He rubbed his shoulder. That demon knew how to hit hard.

"Whatever, bastard," Lovino huffed, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. "It's my home, of course I'm not going to curse when I talk about it."

Arthur chuckled, much to the other's embarrassment. "I can understand that. What are you doing in England when you love Italy so much?"

"I told you when we met, and some family reasons," Lovino responded vaguely with a shrug.

"Oh yeah. What kind of family do you have?" Arthur looked at him curiously.

"One young, idiot brother." Lovino's frown deepened and a line appeared between his eyes. "The idiota is as fucking useless as they come. You?"

"Three brothers and one sister. They all hate me for taking the throne before them." He sighed deeply. Thinking about his siblings always gave him a headache.

"Sounds like a bitch to deal with. They need to suck it up and accept that you are the king. I think you make a fucking fine king."

Arthur stared at the other in surprise. It seemed like everyone was against him most days, ready to tear the crown from his head and place it on his oldest brother instead. "Well, you're alone on that thought. If it hadn't been my mother's dying wish for me to be king, I'm sure they would have overthrown me by now."

"No they wouldn't have. That would have destabilized the entire vampire hierarchy and most likely have led to the collapse of your kingdom. And if that had happened, your people would have died out long ago and I wouldn't be talking to you now, because the Hunters would have only demons to focus on and would have also killed us."

He stared at Lovino. Arthur hadn't met many demons, but this one seemed to understand more about vampire society than half his people did. "T-That's very right. May I ask how you figured that out?"

"I did some research before I came here. Also, it helps that demons and vampires have similar systems of government, although my people are less likely to start a war over who is king." Lovino leaned back and sighed. "If we could get others to see that our two races aren't that different, I think we would function better than we do apart."

He looked over at Lovino, and found those eyes were already on him. In them, he saw fiery passion and determination, unmatched to any he'd seen before. "Do you really believe that?"

"Yes." Lovino turned his face away to look at a bird flying over them. "I was born before the War, and I remember when you could go anywhere and not have to worry about someone trying to kill you. My grandfather use to be good friends with many vampires and they were good people. Since...K-King Romulus screwed up with your mother, things haven't been as good," Lovino stumbled over his words, but quickly regained control.

"I met King Roma, he was quite an amazing man." All Arthur really remembered of the older king's appearance was his wide smile and laughing eyes, but he would never forget the king's kindness to him.

Besides him, Lovino let out a short laugh, bitterness tainting the pleasant sound. "Yeah. I wish he was still here to be king."

"Do you not like King Lovino?" He asked, mistaking Lovino's reaction for resentment of the present king. Arthur regarded Lovino's profile, watching his lips twist into a grimace.

"Cheh, you could say that. He's rather a pitiful guy."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, all his life, until King Romulus died, was spent preparing for becoming king, but that's the last thing he ever wanted. Of course, he couldn't say no when the time came, because that would mean his younger brother would have to take his place. His brother wanted to be king even less than him and...let's just say, he loved his brother enough to not back down from his responsibility." Grass fell victim to Lovino's churning emotions, begin uprooted and extirpated. "And the worst part is the people don't even like him. They prefer his brother to him."

"You speak as if you know him," Arthur said softly. It seemed as if King Lovino was a similar position as him: Facing a duty they didn't ask for with no way to get out of it.

"You could say I know him well." Lovino stopped tearing up grass and stared at him expectantly.

"What?"

Lovino opened his mouth, but closed it and shook his head. "You're an idiot."

His readied a retort to throw back, but before he could say it, Lovino dazzled him with a smile. It wasn't a very big smile, or even very bright. His smile was one of those rare beauties that, although small, were special and saved for certain moments.

"It is time I left." Lovino stood up abruptly and started off towards the trees.

"Bye, Lovino," he called, but the only reply was a lazy wave over the shoulder.

* * *

Arthur set out for the forest earlier than usual; he'd even concluded his meeting early to leave sooner. He wanted to know if Lovino would be waiting for him once again, and he barely paid attention to the leafy surrounds as he practically ran through the forest. His foot steps fell silent as a deer's and he crept out of trees, hoping to catch the demon off guard if he was there.

He was painfully aware of the openness of the meadow, but there was no demon in sight. Arthur snuck to the rock and looked around; still no demon. Disappointment wormed its way into his heart and he nearly growled out loud. He shouldn't be expecting - wanting - that demon to be here. Such fondness was dangerous, especially for a king like him. Lovino could be here to kill him for all he knows! Although he doubts that is the demon's reasons, but it was still a possibility.

The soft shuffle of grass snapped him from his thoughts and he peeked around the large stone. Sitting in the grass, Lovino pulled flowers from the ground carefully and set them aside. Arthur watched as the demon, seeming to have collected enough flowers, began to weave the stems together. Beneath Lovino's deft fingers, a crown of white and yellow flowers came together._ Buttercups and daisies, a crown of humility and purity. I wonder if he knows the meaning behind them... Probably not._

"How long are you going to spy on me like a fucking creep?" Lovino's voice cut through the air and he didn't bother to look up at Arthur. "And don't pretend you're not there, I know you're there, now get you're ass over here, dammit."

"Yes, your highness," he teased and sat in the grass in front of Lovino.

The demon glared at him. "Don't call me your highness unless you want me to start calling you 'your majesty.'"

"Good god, no. I don't think I could keep a straight face if you did." Arthur smiled and Lovino return the smile with one of his own small ones. "What are you making there, anyway?"

"You have eyes, dumbass." The demon rolled his eyes and set the crown on his head. "There, now you look like a king."

A light blush colored his cheek and he frowned. "King of what? Girly flowers?"

"Flowers would be a hell of a lot easier to rule than vampires. All they fucking care about is sunlight, water, and air, anything else doesn't really matter to them," Lovino said, taking a flower and twirling it between his fingers.

"Yeah, they would. How'd you make this thing anyway?" Arthur made a move to take it off, but Lovino's eyes practically glared a hole in him until he dropped his hand back into his lap.

"Like this." The demon took two flowers and wove the stems together, looking at them almost fondly. "My little brother showed me how a long time ago, he's such a girly little fuck."

"What's your brother like?" He asked, picking more flowers and carefully weaving them together like Lovino showed him.

"Oh, you know... He's careless and idiotic, doesn't know his right from his left and wouldn't fight to save his life. He likes all those girly things like painting and drawing, flowers and cakes, and other shit. People like him a lot, especially the ladies, he's good with them. It's probably because he's cute," the demon said wearily. "He's weak, though, and easy to take advantage of, so I have to take care of him most of the time."

"It sounds like you are a good big brother," he commented.

"Yeah, you could say that."

He set the crown on Lovino's head. "There, now you're a king too."

Lovino stared at him in surprise, but didn't say anything.

"What? I didn't want to be the only king here." Arthur frowned. He was trying not to be a snob by being the only 'king of flowers', even though he was already king of vampires.

"Uh..." Then Lovino started laughing, a hand came up to cover his face, as if he was afraid someone would see his joy. "Nothing, weird bastard."

"I'm not the weird one, you are!" He laughed along with the demon. Arthur couldn't remember the last time he laughed so easily, but he hoped he could continue to laugh like this.

Their laughter fade away into a comfortable silence, both of them sitting peacefully with matching crowns and easy smiles. Arthur watched Lovino's fingers play with a flower, tearing off the petals like a lovesick girl would, but he doubted Lovino had anyone special in mind from the lazy expression on his face.

"What's your life like?"

"What do you mean?"

"You live a normal life, right? One without having to worry about running an entire kingdom? Do you know?"

Lovino didn't say anything for a long time, but he didn't mind waiting. It was only a question he asked when his mind was calm enough to think about it, but usually no one was around for him to ask.

"I can't answer your question."

He only nodded slowly, gazing up at the azure sky thoughtfully. "I always thought it would be lovely to live alone. Sometimes, I think about disappearing and never returning, but I could never do that to my people. They deserve a better king than me, but my brothers are far worse than I could ever be."

The demon flicked a spark of fire at him and it float on to his cheek, sending a pinch of pain through him. "Idiot."

"Ow! What the hell was that for, you twat?" Arthur rubbed his cheek and glared at Lovino.

"For being fucking stupid. You make yourself out to be such a fucking terrible guy, but you're really not that bad," Lovino growled, "And don't you dare contract me, just shut your fucking mouth."

His mouth shut when Lovino set those fiery eyes on him, part of him wanted to argue with the demon, but the other part knew Lovino would probably tear into him like a wolf hungry for a fight.

"Cheh, that's what I thought." Lovino shot him a cheeky grin.

He rolled his eyes. "You're so bossy. One would think you're some kind of prince."

"I'm a king, you idiot!" The demon jumped up and grinned devilishly. "A king of flowers."

"Wait, if you're the king and I'm the king, then are we married?" Arthur took great pleasure in watching Lovino's face darken with blush.

"You fuck, shut up!" Lovino tackled him to the ground and pressed his face into the grass.

"Oi! Gerroff!" He shoved Lovino off him and they spent a good while rolling around and wrestling. He only managed to pinned the demon for a second before he wiggled out of his grip and jumped away.

"Damn you," Lovino huffed.

He rolled his eyes. "I do believe we have crushed our subjects," Arthur said, gesturing to the crushed bodies of flowers around them.

"Oh shit. I guess we ruined our kingdom."

"No, they'll grow back. They always do."

Lovino frowned at this, then shook his head and glanced at the sky. "Yeah. Damn, I really need to go."

"Really...? Goodbye then, you'll be here tomorrow, right?" He shoved down the apprehensive feeling in his chest.

The other man only shrugged and set off towards the trees.

* * *

**Well, update. The relationship between them seems strange, but I kinda like it.**

**-_Windy_**


	3. Chapter 3

"He has a point," a slim, Asian man stated, his deep eyes only hinted at his extensive knowledge. "The days when we had close ties with the demons were far better than these days?"

"Of course it was better! It was before the war! What if King Lovino is just like Romulus?" A blonde, spiky-haired man nearly yelled. "You think too much of the past, Yao."

"But everyone is different, da? Yao-Yao has never been wrong before," a tall man, the tallest out of the group, commented with a heavy Russian accent.

"But we c'an't f'rget the p'st," another blonde joined in.

"See! Even Berwald agrees!" The spiky-haired blonde grinned triumphantly, like he won a battle. "Plus, your opinion shouldn't count, Ivan; you always agree with Yao."

"Because Yao-Yao is very wise, much more than you, comrade." Ivan gave the other one of his chilling smiles that struck fear into almost everyone.

"I d'n't agree w'th y'u, Mathias." Berwald glared intimidatingly at the other man. "I agree th't Yao is r'ght, b't we sh'uld be c'utious."

"He's right." A colorfully dressed man, with a strange little hat balanced on his head, propped his feet up on the table. "And demons aren't all bad."

"Shut up! No one cares about your opinion either, Vlad!" Mathias stood up and all but slammed his hands on the table.

"Stay calm, mon ami."

"Why are you even here?" Vlad stared at the flamboyant Frenchman sitting near the end of the table.

"You are here as a second opinion on the trustworthiness of demons, correct?" Yao asked, but really already knew the answer.

"Oui, our dear king asked me to help argue his idea, since he does not know demons well and I have demon friends." The Frenchman flashed him a smile.

Arthur continued to watch the meeting go back and forth in silence. Yao and Ivan being pro-demon and Mathias and Vlad (after much arguing, sided with Mathias) being anti-demon, with Berwald hanging around in the neutral zone. This is how most everything worked out; a stalemate. He'd brought Francis here in hopes of perhaps tipping the tables in his favor, but all he'd gotten from the useless man was perverted whispers and wandering hands.

_What the hell have I done?_ He thought when Mathias and Berwald began to have one of their glare offs that Ivan quickly joined in.

After several days of fruitless meetings and wonderful afternoons spent with Lovino, he finally brought up the idea of joining with the demons to his council. He'd figured Yao would side with him; the older vampire had probably already thought of such a scenario with demons, but his old age left him indifferent when it came to actually purposing ideas. But that didn't bother him too much, if the wise man grew too vocal, he might turn into a problem with the way Ivan, his war general, followed the man's every word (except the words "go away").

The voices of his council began to grate on his nerves and the wandering foot trailing up his leg only made his irritation grow until he felt that he would boil over with rage. "ENOUGH! We are going to form an alliance with demons and that is final!" He roared, finally losing the last shred of his patience.

Everyone grew very silent, all their eyes trained on him. It wasn't often he'd have an outburst, but they knew better than to mess with him when he did.

He cleared his throat, regaining his calm. "Yao, what would be the best way to get the people to accept demons again?" He asked slowly, sipping the tea set before him.

"Marriage to the Demon King, your highness."

"W-What?" He nearly spat his tea out and coughed, sending a quick glare at Francis when the man chuckled.

"If you were to marry their king under the pretense of love, it would encourage younger vampires to socialize with demons too."

"Is there, perhaps, another way?" He asked, trying to hid his wariness of the Demon King. Lovino hadn't seemed to like the Demon King much, and the rumors portrayed him as a terrible creature of death.

"Oui, we can't have his majesty wed to such a foul-mouth man," Francis spoke up. "King Lovino would attack his highness as soon as set eyes on him."

"I suppose you're right." Yao stared into space unblinkingly, as if to see some far off future. "Either way we do this, we will have to meet with the Demon King."

"What if the demon is like his Grandfather and kills our king when we're not looking?" Mathias threw in.

"And wh't if he n't?"

"Shut up, Swed!"

"I say we meet this Demon King and get close to him, then when he least expect it, stab him in the back like they did us," Vlad added with a ruthless grin on his face.

"Attacking them will solve nothing and surely seal our destruction if we have both Hunters and demons at war with us," Yao said patiently. "The best option is to marry their king, then when our two races have become friendly with each other once again, you can break the bond."

He sighed, suddenly tired. "Let us end this meeting here and continue tomorrow. I would like to think over this idea of marriage."

Yao bowed his head respectfully and stood, with Ivan at his elbow. "Yes, your highness. I will try to think of a better solution. Until then, farewell."

All his council members said their goodbyes and quickly departed, leaving him once again tired and depressed. He felt ready to leave and run to his meadow, to where he knew Lovino would be waiting for him. Just as he began to stand, he saw a body lean close.

"You look exhausted, my king," Francis purred.

"I don't want to deal with you right now, frog," he snapped, impatient to escaped the stressful atmosphere. "Good day to you."

Francis followed him as he walked purposefully out the door of the meeting hall. "So cold, your highness, allow me to warm your cold heart." A arm snaked around his waist and the Frenchman leaned forward to brush their lips together.

Adding more power than he should have, Arthur slammed his knee into the attractive man's groin. A cruel sense of pleasure filled him as he watched Francis fall to the ground, nearly in tears. Without a second glance, he continued walking as if nothing had happened. There was only one place he wanted to be, and it most certainly wasn't in bed with the frog.

...

He finally caught sight of their rock through the trees and his feet picked up the pace until he cleared the last of the trees. Lovino already sat against their rock, his beautiful eyes closed and his usually grumpy face relaxed and calm. As he moved closed, he saw the demon was fast asleep, weariness clung to his handsome features like a shadow. On his long nose, a butterfly opened and closed its wings, showing off its brilliant colors.

The sight of the usually sour-faced demon looking peaceful with a butterfly on his nose brought laughter bubbling up and he struggled to quiet his chuckles. Silently, he knelt in front of his friend and waved the insect from his face, knowing if Lovino woke up to it there, it would be in perilous danger. With the butterfly safely flying away, he dared to touch Lovino's shoulder. But before he could actually touch him, Lovino's hand shot up and trapped his wrist in a vice-like grip.

"_Che cazzo stai facendo_?" Two unfamiliar eyes, the color of dried blood, glared at him and the hand holding his wrist grew unbearably hot.

"Ow! Let go!" Arthur jerked his wrist away, bright burns marking his skin where Lovino's hand had touched him.

"A-Arthur?" Lovino blinked and his eyes returned to their normal shades of gold and green. "Shit, don't sneak up on me like that! I thought..."

"You thought what? Who would have possibly approached you, other than me?" He snapped and held out his wrist to the demon. "Fix this."

"It doesn't matter what I thought, just don't do that again," Lovino said gruffly, but his touch was gently and warm as he healed the light burns.

Arthur took a deep, cleansing breath and let it out. "Sorry I startled you."

"No... Stop getting hurt, idiot."

He figured that was the closest thing to an apology Lovino would give him. "You seem tired and jumpy, that king of yours stressing you out again?"

"You could say that..." Lovino wouldn't meet his gaze, and instead picked at the grass in front of him.

Over the past few days, he'd come to see Lovino as a friend; one of his first. He'd grown fond of their evenings together, talking and teasing one another, and doing the things he never did much as a child. Such as tag and hide-go-seek, which Lovino was insanely good at. It concerned him that Lovino seemed to be face greater stress than even his own. "What's wrong, Lovino?"

"Nothing. Just don't fucking sneak up on me," the demon said defensively. "And don't worry; I can see you're already starting to, you fucking worrywart."

A frown pulled down the corners of his lips and he sighed. "Of course, I'm going to worry! I didn't even touch you, and your first reaction was to attack. That means you're either a naturally violent and suspicious person, or you're in a situation that requires you to be alert and ready to fight at all times, and I fear it is that latter."

"Maybe I'm just use to people trying to kill me in my sleep! Fuck it, just don't touch me, dammit!" Lovino threw some torn up grass in his face.

"Someone trying to kill you? If there's some trouble you're in, I'll—"

"Stop, Arthur."

Lovino almost never used his name, and mostly just called him various forms of bastard. Something must really be bothering him if Lovino felt the need to use his real name. "Fine... Well, you got what you wanted," he said, changing the subject.

"And what is that?" Lovino visibly relaxed and looked at him again, this time with curiosity.

"My council has agreed to explore the possibility of forming an alliance with your demons."

Conflicting emotions flashed across Lovino's face, switching from surprise to triumph to alarm, then he quickly guarded his expressions. "That's great."

"I was expecting a bit more enthusiasm." He frowned, watching Lovino suspiciously.

Lovino sighed and rubbed a hand over his face, wiping away the previous guarded expression. "I am tired and you don't know what this means to me. Give me a fucking break. What did they say?"

"The usual. Yao and Ivan are with me, Mathias is against and Vlad is wary (although I could probably get him to agree fully), and Berwald is neutral." Then he added much more slowly, "I told them we were going to do this, but Yao says the best way to gain my people's support would be to marry the Demon King."

The demon's eyes widened and his face grew a tad pink. He quickly cleared his throat and asked, "Did he give no other options?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "He said he'd try to think of a better plan, but even I have to agree that would probably be the best action. What do you think?"

The other man's face grew thoughtful. Arthur had quickly learned Lovino had many great views and opinions on politics, which led him to believe Lovino must be a secret adviser for the Demon King (because he had never heard of a demon named Lovino on the council and from the little information Lovino had given him; he had to be close to the Demon King in some way).

"Well... That would benefit both sides if you were to marry...him."

"I know." Arthur sighed deeply.

"Are you afraid of him?" There was no mocking tone in Lovino's voice.

The rumors of the Demon King portrayed him as a merciless killer, that had a hunger for blood even greater than the vampires who lived off it and could easily fight off any number of Hunters. Arthur wasn't one to believe such gossip, but the sheer mass of vampires, demons and Hunters that feared him spoke for itself. "I am wary. You've heard the rumors."

"Whispered by mothers to scare their children," Lovino said without humor. "The lies people say..."

"Are they not true?"

"Of course not, or at least not completely," Lovino spat bitterly. "The Demon King is just like you and me, dammit. His only fucking fault is doing the things necessary to make sure the people prevail! But his people fucking love his brother and want him on the throne instead of me! Those traitorous bastards just want to use my brother for their ugly greed, and spread lies to taint my name and send assassins to kill me in my sleep!"

"Wait..."

Lovino seemed to realize his mistake and struggled to find an excuse. Finally, he just sighed. "My name is Lovino Vargas... The Demon King."

"You... You're..." He blinked once, then twice. All he could think of was how his first real friend in years turned out to be one of the most violent demons (according to rumors) ever birthed.

"Arthur? Oh, shit. Is it really so fucking surprising that I broke you?" Lovino snapped his fingers in front of his face.

"So, all that was a lie? Did you just manipulate me to get what you want? Was this all a game?" He burst out, glaring hatefully at the person he once considered a 'friend'.

"No! Nothing I told you was ever a lie!" Lovino glared right back at him.

"You just didn't tell the truth! Why didn't you bloody tell me?"

"Would you have listened if I had? After all the shit you've heard, would you have listened? Would you have care? No, you wouldn't have! I told you from the very beginning what I wanted from you and not once did I trick you!" Now they were both screaming at each other.

"So, pretending to be my friend and care about me wasn't a lie?" He roared and stood up.

Lovino also stood up, his fists clenched to his sides. "Who said I was fucking pretending, you asshole?"

"That's what you demons do! You lie, cheat and even kill to get what you want!"

"I haven't lied to you, dammit!" The demon took a step closer to him.

"You should have told me!" He kept the distance between them. A hand shot out and grabbed the front of his shirt, leaving him no choice but to face those eyes. They shone with tears of anger and some emotion he couldn't define.

"Listen to me, dammit! This doesn't change anything!"

"How can you say that? You're the bloody Demon King!"

"No, I'm Lovino. Demon King is only a title I didn't ask for." Lovino released him and stepped away, quickly looking down, but not before he caught sight of the hurt in those ever-changing eyes. "Goodbye, Arthur."

Arthur felt a sharp pain stab through his chest and he held back the urge to reach out and grab hold of Lovino's wrist to keep him from leaving. The hurt only grew worse the farther away Lovino walked, but he knew he had not been physically hurt. Anger rose in his chest, drowning out the pain with icy fury. He stormed away from the meadow he met his friend, set on never seeing the lying demon again.

* * *

**Translations:**

**_Che cazzo stai facendo? _(Italian): What the fuck are you doing?**

**Tomorrow's my birthday, so happy birthday to me. This can be my present to myself. Whoo.**

**Thank you for reading and reviewing my one and only reviewer, Starfire67. Your support is duly noted and appreciated. **

**_-__Windy_  
**


	4. Chapter 4

Arthur sat sulking, glaring at the rain pouring down outside the window. Fairies danced in the and out of the falling drops, sometimes pausing in their frolicking to make faces at him. He was aware they were trying to cheer him up, and as much as fairies amused him, he couldn't find joy from the silly creatures. If only they had never— He sat up straighter, suddenly feeling guilty. Even after Lovino's lies, he still couldn't find it in him to wish he'd never met the demon. A loud sigh blew past his lips, and his previous anger faded and went out. His little voice of reason told him he acted harshly again and Lovino had good reasons to not tell him his full name. The little voice also nagged him that all the clues were there, he just refused to see them.

"Damnit!" He slammed his hand down on the windowsill hard enough to hear the wood creak. Regret tugged at his heart and he stomped out of his extensive library. His sole butler bowed to him, but Arthur barely spent time to look at him. He pulled on his long coat and walked out into the rain. Ignoring the fairies that wanted to chat with him, he trudged through the wet forest along the muddy paths.

Even though it was seriously doubtful that Lovino would be there, but even so, hope weld in his chest and his pace quicken as he neared his destination. Arthur cleared the last of the trees, but as he expected, no dark-brown head greeted him on his rainy, grey day. Arthur berated himself for even coming out, because now water dripped down the back of his coat and his mood grew even more sullen. Angrily, he plopped down in front of their rock, but as soon as he did, he remember the fun times they had next to this rock.

Water soaked through his pants, but he didn't notice. A familiar spicy scent drifted to his nose and Arthur immediately perked up, his hope renewed. He quietly followed the scent around the boulder curiously. Lovino leaned up against their rock, his eyes closed and his breathing slow. Fairies that had followed him settled on the demon's shoulders, chatter quietly to themselves.

_How can he sleep in a place like this?_ Water droplets dripped from the ends of Lovino's bangs and on to his cheeks, giving him the look of tears on his olive skin. From the state the demon's clothes were in, he would guess Lovino had sat here quite awhile. Arthur brought his hand up to wipe away the small beads of water, but hesitated, his fingers hovering uncertainly. He could feel the heat radiating off Lovino's skin and as lightly as he could, he brushed the drops away.

Two hazel eyes opened and stared up at him sleepily, and he couldn't help but notice the long eyelashes that framed those two beautiful eyes. "Mm...?"

"You shouldn't sleep in such a place," he mumbled and withdrew his hand quickly.

"Hn, I know," Lovino said through a yawn.

He stood up and offered his hand to the drowsy demon. "Come on, your clothes are soaking wet."

Lovino blinked at the hand outstretched towards him, then stood on his own. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, just come on, wanker," he snapped and, before he could lose his courage, grabbed Lovino by the hand and led him back through the woods. He felt the demon glare at the back of his head silently, but Lovino didn't struggle. "Bloody hell, are you shivering?"

"No!" Lovino tried to hide the way his body quaked and shuddered.

"Liar. Take my coat." Arthur did the gentlemanly thing, removed his coat and draped it over Lovino's shoulders, despite the demon's violent protesting. "Better?"

"Fuck you," the demon hissed, but clutched the coat closer around him. "I fucking hate getting wet."

Rather than get angry, he felt only the heavy weight of guilt and he didn't know why. He simply held his tongue and dragged Lovino through the rest of the forest to his home. As they approached the large manor, Lovino lagged back and the grip on his hand tightened.

"Going to have me killed?" Lovino sneered, but Arthur could sense the nervousness in the back of his voice; that only made him feel worse.

"No... I would never let you be hurt if I could help it." He opened the side door that let to the library and tried to ignore Lovino's shocked expression. "Toris!"

His butler walked in quickly. Toris's eyes widened at the sigh of the wet demon next to him. "Y-Yes, your majesty?"

"Bring us towels and blankets. Is there anything you want to drink or eat?" Arthur turned and asked Lovino politely.

"Make coffee." Lovino glared at his butler coldly.

Toris nodded shakily and disappeared out the door to the hall, leaving the two kings alone. Having nothing better to do, he led Lovino to the couches he kept for the rare visitor. The demon's eyes shifted and scanned the library, nearly glowing when they found their target; his fireplace. Lovino threw his coat on to a chair and crouched in front of the brickwork. He saw light flash from Lovino's hands to the hearth, chasing the shadows from the walls.

"Are you starting a fire? Do you need wood?"

Lovino shot his an annoyed glare. "It likes wood, but as long as I'm here, it doesn't need it," he growled and turned back to the fire. Lovino murmured under his breath, coaxing the flames brighter. As soon as he was sure the fire would stay under control, Lovino drew his shirt over his head and threw it aside.

"What are you doing? Put your bloody clothes back on!" Arthur covered his eyes and fought back his growing blush when a pair of trousers and underwear joined the growing pile of clothes.

"Shut up! I am fucking cold and wet, and it's all your fault!"

"How is it my fault? I didn't tell you to go out in the bloody rain!"

Lovino stormed over to him, his eyes flashing in the firelight, and pried his hands off his eyes. "Then why were you there?"

"W-Well, I was wondering if...you'd be stupid enough to show up there," he said defensively, trying to look anywhere but down.

The demon's eyes narrowed. "Let's just say, I was wondering the same fucking thing."

They glared at each other until the soft clearing of a throat brought their attention to Toris. The butler stood by a cart with drinks on it, a blanket and a towels in hand.

Lovino reacted quicker than he did, taking the items from Toris. "Thank you. Leave us."

"Y-Yes, sir. We didn't have any coffee, so I-I brought you hot chocolate instead."

"That's fine. Go," Lovino ordered in a harsh tone. He toweled his body dry and wrapped the large blanket around his body, covering the smooth skin from view, and Arthur began to breath again. Toris bowed and scurried out of the room. He almost called the butler back, he didn't know what to do with a nearly naked Lovino.

"Aren't you fucking cold?" Lovino glared at him suspiciously and huddled in front of the fire with the mug of chocolate in his hands.

"Even if I am, I'm not going to take off my bloody clothes," he snapped, well aware of the blush slowly growing brighter on his cheeks.

Lovino stared at him, taking a sip from his mug. A small, amused smile curling up the corners of his mouth up.

"Shut up!" Arthur yelled and dropped into a leather chair, putting a hand over his face to hide his embarrassment.

"I didn't say a damn thing, idiot," Lovino said in an amused tone, "But who would have thought you could be so childish."

"You didn't have to say anything, and I am not childish!" Arthur took a deep breath and continued calmly, "I am a gentleman and I do not wish to intrude on your privacy."

He knew Lovino didn't believe a word he said, and the demon just rolled his eyes. "If I was worried about you seeing me naked, I wouldn't have taken my fucking clothes off."

Arthur scoffed and Lovino didn't bother to answer him, simply stared into the flames with a strange expression. They stayed like that a long time, the silence engulfing them both in its dampening embrace. He was uncomfortable with how quiet the usually talkative demon was being. Lovino wasn't too talkative, but he usually had something to say, whether it be to complain about the color of the sky or to push his opinion and ideas on him; he was never just...silent.

"I'm sorry..."

Lovino looked over his shoulder and stared at him, not saying a single word.

Unnerved by Lovino's silence, he hesitated for a moment. "I didn't mean to get so angry at you. You were right not to tell me at first, I probably wouldn't have listened to you at all if I had known from the beginning. I'm sorry."

"You should be sorry. I didn't want you to...judge me..." Lovino glanced away, burying his fingers in the thick carpet under him. "Those damn rumors make things difficult for me and I knew you'd hear them eventually, but I didn't...I didn't want you look at me like..." The demon fell silent and didn't show any signs of continuing, but the fire in his hearth blazed with conflicting emotions.

It suddenly occurred to him that Lovino didn't have any friends, like him, but he doubted it was because of personal preference. The rumors that followed his title of Demon King struck fear into those around him and drove away anyone who could want his company. He wondered how long Lovino had been so alone, isolated from caring people and happy times. "I understand..."

The fire died down to a dull flame and the demon sighed deeply, wrapping the blanket tighter around his shoulders. He stood up and slowly went to Lovino, sitting next to him. It took him a while to gather the courage to wrap his arms around the demon. Instead of immediately burning him, Lovino actually leaned into the embrace. They sat in silence again and the fire in the hearth slowly faded away to almost nothing. Shadows huddled close around them and draped their dark cloaks over the room.

"Lovino...?" He tightened his arms around him.

"Hn?"

"Will you show me that think you do with fire again...?"

Lovino turned his face to him, his eyes gleaming in the dim light. "Really? We're in a fucking library. Aren't you worried about me setting your books on fire?"

"No, I know you can control yourself quite well," he said, chuckling when Lovino scoffed at him. "Don't be like that. I'll trust you with all my precious friends."

"I'm gonna burn them, you lonely bastard." Lovino shifted in his arms.

"Please, don't." He grew nervous when he saw the glint of teeth from the shadow of Lovino's face, and the rumors of the Demon King whispered in the back of his mind.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to burn the most valuable ones," the demon purred. Arthur could feel the heat from Lovino grow warmer.

Before he could say anything, the cold ember in the hearth burst forth with light and energy. His instincts told him to shrink back, but a hand clamped on his shirt and held him there.

"Watch," Lovino said softly.

At first, the blaze blinded him, but as his eyes adjusted, figures came to life in the flames. Before him a story unfurled, dancing out on to the bricks in front of the hearth. A lone wolf dodged between flaming trees, but became trapped at the sheer side of a cliff. Behind it, a man held up a bow and took aim at the corned animal. The man let loose an arrow and it found its mark in the wolf's side, then another in its leg. The wolf, in a flash of fire, turned from animal into a woman, laying still and turning a cold blue. The man dropped his weapon and ran to the fallen girl, clutching her to his chest. The flames flickered back into the hearth and died back to a dull glow.

"That was amazing," he breathed out.

"That's the first time I've told a story like that. It's a form of storytelling demons use to lull children to sleep, but I've never tried it before..."

"It's a story?"

Lovino nodded.

"Will you tell it to me?" Arthur pressed closer to the warm demon.

"Hn... There once was a man who lived in the forest and took care of his cruel mother. His mother treated him terribly, always nagging and berating him." At the sound of Lovino's voice, the fire jumped up and began animating the story. "One day, on a trip to a nearby village, he met a girl. She was beautiful and the man fell in love with her instantly. He wasted no time marrying the girl and taking her home, but he had forgotten about his evil mother and the old witch grew even more bitter when he brought home his new wife.

Every time the man went out to hunt, the mother beat and hit the girl. The poor girl was miserable, but she loved the man with all her heart and bared through it in silence. The girl soon became pregnant and everyone was so happy, except the mother. The man stayed home just to be with his young wife and showered her with affections. His mother didn't dare harm the girl with her son there, so she waited and planned. When the child came, it was the mother that helped deliver the baby into the world. The girl and man were overjoyed and to celebrate, the man went out to hunt rabbits for a big meal." Arthur watched the flames, enraptured by Lovino's mellifluous voice and the flames dancing in front of him.

"While her son was out, his mother crept into the room the girl rest in and stole the baby from her bosom while she slept. The baby began to whimper, but the mother was cunning and, during the nine months it took for the baby to be born, learned the art of black magic. The witch opened the baby's veins and spread its young bloody over the walls and bed. Using the her dark magic, she cast a spell over the girl and turned her into a wolf.

The old witch waited for her son to return and when he came insight, she ran out crying and screaming that a wolf had eaten his wife and child. The son ran inside to find the wolf-girl, just waking up from the old woman's yells, sitting up in the blood covered room. He let out a terrible yell of grief and anger, and chased the girl out of his home, firing arrows at her. The poor girl ran from the man who loved her so dearly, trapped in the witch's magic, but no matter how fast she ran, the man persisted in chasing and trapped her. He shot her twice, once in the leg and once in the heart.

As her blood spilled on the ground, she let out one agonized howl that echoed through the forest and broke the witch's spell. The man now saw the wolf he killed was no wolf, but his lovely wife. He cradled her body and wept for the grave mistake he made. The man buried her where she fell and returned home. The old witch was there waiting for him to bring back a wolf's carcass, but when she saw he had none, she grew suspicious. The son told the old woman he left it outside and went out to get it, but he really went out to set his little home on fire. From far away, he watched his house burn with his mother inside, and when the embers finally grew cold, he walked away.

The man traveled far from his old home and built a new house. He never married again and spent the rest of his days mourning for his lost wife and child."

Lovino leaned back against his chest and sighed. "That's on old story, and not a very nice one either."

"I like the way you tell it..."

"Mm... What are we going to do?" Lovino's voice sounded far away and the demon shifted to look at his face. "I don't think we can continue to play pretend in the forest anymore. We have to be careful, what we're planning to do will decide the fate of our races..."

He sighed heavily, nearly leaning all his weight on Lovino as he felt the burden of responsibility fall on his shoulders again. "I know...but you've convinced me that joining together is the best thing to do and I believe we can do it."

"You know...marrying you wouldn't be the worst thing I could do, you're not the stupidest fuckhead I've ever met, at least." Lovino poked his stomach teasingly and grinned. "Although you can be a sassy bastard."

"A-Are you really considering that? I mean, not to say you aren't handsome and I'm sure you'd be a hassle to be married to, but you don't love me."

"I wouldn't be a hassle, bastard," Lovino growled. "You're right that I don't love you, but we _need_ to do this. And don't complain, you could be marrying someone worse!"

Arthur grinned crookedly. "I suppose. For as stubborn, bossy, foul-mouthed, somewhat rude," Lovino glared at him and opened his mouth to retort, but Arthur didn't give him the chance, "And childish you are, I doubt I could find anyone as great as you to willingly marry me."

Lovino turned away and huffed, but he could see blush creeping up the demon's neck. "Asshole..."

He moved his arm from around Lovino's shoulders to his waist, and smirked. "So, is it a deal, _love_?"

"Go to hell, sassy ass." Lovino pouted at him, his cheeks a pretty red.

"I'll meet you there, dear," he replied jokingly.

The demon let out a huff of laughter and smacked his hand lightly. "Shut up, before I change my mind."

"Oh, please, don't do that." Arthur pulled Lovino flush against his chest, finding the demon's half-heart struggles amusing. "Won't you give me a kiss, love?"

Before he knew what happened, Lovino turned and he found himself on his back, nose to nose with him. Those sharp, hazel eyes trapped his in a heated stare and he could smell Lovino's spicy scent invade his senses. Lovino leaned down and brushed their lips together lightly, but before he press closer, Lovino pulled back and chuckled.

"Bloody tease..."

"That's what you get when you act like a bastard." Lovino still hovered over him and smiled enchantingly, his eyes dancing in the firelight. "Plus, you don't want to kiss me. If you do, your heart and soul will be _mine_."

"Wanker." He felt his face grow warm and frowned at Lovino.

"Y-Your highness...?" Toris hesitated at the door.

Arthur and Lovino sat up and scrambled away from each other as fast as they could. He cleared his throat and said, "Yes, Toris?"

"I felt I should remind you, your council will be arriving soon." Toris flicked his eyes to Lovino for a moment, then dropped his gaze to the ground.

"Oh, bugger." Arthur stood up and offered his hand to Lovino. "Looks like it's time to announce our engagement, darling." From the corner of his eye, he saw Toris's horrified expression. He tried to smile to show them he was joking.

"Are you fucking mad?" Lovino gripped his hand and got up, using the other to hold the blanket around him. "We can't just drop this on them like the fucking atomic bomb!"

"I am joking, up-tight wanker," Arthur frowned thoughtfully, "But they'll be here before you can leave..."

Lovino smiled darkly. "Don't worry, dearest. I can get away."

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind it." Lovino picked up his pile of clothes. "You, servant, get out."

Toris quickly scurried out the door, glancing over his shoulder fearfully. Lovino's eyes followed his timid butler, glinting dangerously. "We can trust him, but make sure he knows he can't speak of seeing me here."

"I've known Toris a long time, he's a loyal man."

"I know and I'll trust him for now, but make sure he knows his place." Lovino glanced at him, the threatening look still lingering in his eyes. "It's time for me to go, see you tomorrow, dear. It would seem your guests have arrived."

"What? You don't—" Arthur blinked and Lovino was gone. The scent of fire and smoke floated in the air, but the demon was gone. "How'd he...?"

He couldn't think about it long, because Toris ran in and told him Matthias had arrived and tried to subtly tell him he smelt like a demon. Arthur quickly ran upstairs to change and mentally prepare for another meeting.

* * *

**UPDATE! Thanks for all the happy birthdays, it means a lot to hear from my readers. Thank you!**

**-_Windy_**


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